Diodes Incorporated introduced the ULN2003V12 and ULN2003F12. The ULN2003V12 is a 7-channel relay and inductive load sink driver that consumes 12 times less power while offering a direct replacement to the industry-standard device. The ULN2003F12 is a 4-channel version, which provides a smaller footprint when fewer output channels are required, such as when driving low-voltage stepper motors. Target end-markets for these devices include domestic appliances like washing machines and dishwashers.
The ULN2003V12 and ULN2003F12 both support 3.3 V to 5 V CMOS logic inputs, making them compatible with a wide range of microcontrollers and logic devices. They also both integrate an input RC snubber circuit, which improves performance in noisy operating conditions, and an internal input stage pull-down resistor to simplify the use of tri-state input logic. The use of low-output impedance drivers minimizes on-chip power dissipation while still supporting output pull-up voltages up to 20 V. The devices feature low, 25 μA/channel supply current and outstanding ESD performance of 4 kV HBM, making them suitable for industrial applications.
A key feature of the ULN2003V12 and ULN2003F12 devices is that each output is connected in a common-cathode configuration via internal freewheeling diodes to the COM pin. This provides an increased current sink capability by combining several adjacent channels in parallel. For example, under typical conditions the ULN2003V12 can handle a 1 A load current when all seven channels are connected in parallel. Miniaturized packages help reduce board space requirements, with the ULN2003V12 available in SO-16 and TSSOP-16 packages, while the ULN2003F12 is offered in the U-DFN3030-10 package.
